


the corner store

by Likedeadends



Series: 25 days of Johnmas [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bookstore AU, M/M, hurt comfort, implied mark/yangyang, pre-establish jaeyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27910168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Likedeadends/pseuds/Likedeadends
Summary: Jaehyun and Taeyong loved books and each other. One day, they discovered they loved Johnny, too.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: 25 days of Johnmas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038778
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	the corner store

To get to Johnny Suh you first have to talk about Taeyong Lee and Jaehyun Jung. 

Taeyong and Jaehyun were the epitome of love. They were as close to married as two people could get without government intervention. They sidestepped cupcake phase, honeymoon phase, and any other phase and skipped straight to rocking chairs on the porch. They don’t remember a time when they weren’t in love and don’t try to. 

They opened a bookstore together because they were the perfect pair to go into a business like that. 

Taeyong handled the money; he balanced the accounts, ran payroll, paid taxes, ordered inventory. Jaehyun took care of everything else; he stocked the shelves, he marketed the store, and he got authors to come in and do readings. They both helped with hiring, both manned the register from time to time, and both took the title of store owner. 

It was a good gig. They built their store up from nothing. They were able to expand after a year, build a second level and fill it with used books. Jaehyun told Taeyong they should have some sort of coffee and tea bar, to get people to come in and stay for awhile (“We want them to be comfortable starting a book here, so they feel compelled to take it home”). Taeyong didn’t like the idea at first, but a couple weeks later they were painting mugs together and brainstorming ideas for tea names. 

The used books were a great addition to their shop. They were able to trade used books for vouchers, which got them a lot of repeat customers. 

Their store actually became a pretty big tourist attraction as time went on. They had such a huge collection of books, both popular and niche. Everyone who worked there was well-read and friendly. People enjoyed the mugs and tea (locally sourced). They flocked to the monthly open mic night. Jaehyun even got them booked as the set for a few independent movie scenes. 

It was a slow Tuesday afternoon when Johnny Suh walked in. He was almost as tall as the stack of books Taeyong was sorting through on the counter and as warm as the sun filtering through the windows. He had a huge duffel bag in his hand and the hint of a flush on his cheeks. 

“Hi!” Taeyong greeted, coming out from behind the counter he was working at. People came in all the time with bags and boxes in various sizes, usually filled with books they were looking to trade or sell. Taeyong reached for the duffel out of habit. “How can I help you today?” 

Johnny was a stranger then. He smiled a very endearing smile and handed the duffel over to Taeyong. “I’m looking to sell these books. I just graduated, so I don’t really need them anymore.” 

“Okay,” Taeyong took the bag and went back behind his counter. “Give me about a half an hour. Can I help you find anything while you wait? Or would you like some tea?” 

Johnny just shook his head. “I like to wander.”

And that he did. 

Taeyong settled into the familiar routine of checking publishing dates, looking for hidden bookmarks, and taking note of any annotations in the books. Taeyong learned the man’s name was Johnny because some of the books said “Property of Johnny Suh,” on the inside cover. 

Johnny seemed to be a good book owner. None of the spines were cracked. If there were notes, they were penned neatly and out of the way of the text. Not a single page was dog eared. All of the covers were attached. 

Of course, not all of them had great value. Some were older editions, some had the notes written in, some were probably handed from someone to someone then to Johnny. But they were in good shape and Taeyong always appreciated getting twenty or more books that had good value. 

When Johnny came back he looked elated when Taeyong offered him a fifty dollar vouchure for all of the books. “Yeah, that’s awesome! You guys get new releases too, right?”

“Usually within the first week.” Taeyong said proudly. 

“Great, then I’ll be back soon!” 

The first meeting really wasn’t anything special. Taeyong met people all the time who took care of their books and knew the upcoming release dates for their favorite authors. 

The second meeting was a lot more memorable. 

It was about three weeks later. Jaehyun was at the register while Taeyong sat beside him counting the safe. They were about to close for the night. There were only two customers left in the store-- Yangyang and Mark. Mark wasn’t actually looking for books, but a place to study that wasn’t the university library. Yangyang just went wherever Mark did. 

“Do you think we should get them pizza?” Jaehyun asked, peaking at the two of them over the register. 

“Maybe. I know Mark has finals coming up--”

They were interrupted from their pondering by the front door opening and Johnny Suh walking in. 

He didn’t so much walk in as he did storm in. There was thunder in his steps and rainstorms in his eyes. He looked at Jaehyun and then Taeyong and just looking at him felt like the world was ending. 

Jaehyun and Taeyong stayed silent because they knew better. Johnny stopped at the register and it was clear he had been crying and was on the verge of starting again. 

“H-hi.” It was not the same bright voice he used the first time he came to the store. “I brought some books here a couple weeks ago. How… how long does it usually take for you to shelve them?” 

“Usually a couple of days. We have had a little bit of backlog though.” Jaehyun said carefully. Taeyong made a note of where he stopped with the money and then gave Johnny his full attention. 

“Can you point me to C.S. Lewis then? I accidentally sold you a book I didn’t mean to. I don’t even know how it got.. I mean, obviously I _must have_ put it there but… Of course I didn’t mean to.” He was more talking to himself by the end of it. 

Jaehyun motioned for Taeyong to stay put, his protective instincts had kicked in. “I’ll take you to that section, okay? Yong, will you look through the back stock?” 

Taeyong nodded, but it felt kind of pointless. He looked at Johnny and remembered his copy of The Chronicles of Narnia-- he also remembered shelving it two days later. He was almost positive he remembered selling it two days after that. 

He didn’t say that, though. He couldn’t decide if it would be better to tell Johnny right away or let him find out on his own. Either way, Taeyong checked the back stock just to be sure. It was mostly Young Adult vampire novels there wasn’t quite space for yet, some extra copies of Harry Potter, and the new releases they had prepared for Monday. Not a single resale book in sight (Donghyuck worked that morning and he always took care of shelving the used books). 

Jaehyun took Johnny to the section he was looking for and stayed put while Johnny searched. 

It became clear pretty quickly that they didn’t have what he was looking for. He started to cry (possibly again, possibly the run off of held back tears from earlier). He looked at Jaehyun like he was the last hope. “The back stock?” Was all he could get out. 

Jaehyun frowned. He knew Donghyuck worked that morning. He knew there wouldn’t be any used books in the back-- especially not C.S. Lewis from three weeks ago. 

“Come with me.” Is what Jaehyun said instead. Maybe Donghyuck got backed up at the register. Maybe Taeyong stopped someone from buying that book. 

Taeyong was at the register when they got back up front. There was no book in his hands, but there was a steaming mug on the counter. He looked nearly as upset as Johnny. Jaehyun knew his boyfriend was a serial people pleaser and that he took matters to heart if he felt like he could have done anything to help or prevent them from happening. 

“Johnny,” he said when they got to him. Jaehyun didn’t even wonder how Taeyong knew his name. Taeyong always remembered customers, it was like his magic power. “There wasn’t anything in the back.” 

Johnny stayed still and silent for a moment, a silence that hung thick and heavy. Even Mark and Yangyang turned to look. Jaehyun frowned deeper. Taeyong paled. Then Johnny made a very broken sound and sat right on the worn carpet in front of the counter. 

Jaehyun and Taeyong exchanged a panic glance. Things escalated when Johnny cried harder. 

Jaehyun wasn’t particularly acquainted with comforting strangers. Taeyong all but hopped the counter to get to Johnny’s side. He firmly believed that people were brought together by grief and would never let someone be in pain alone. He didn’t hesitate to wrap and arm around Johnny and immediately start whispering words of comfort. 

Johnny made enough commotion that Yangyang and Mark packed up. Jaehyun waved them off when Yangyang made to come up front and pay for the book he was taking with him.

‘Tomorrow,’ Jaehyun mouthed, and then turned back to his boyfriend and the stranger and tried to pretend he was being more helpful than just hovering over them and staring. 

Eventually Johnny calmed down enough to explain that the book used to belong to his grandmother. They used to read it together every summer and there were notes written in it from her to him. She passed away the year before. 

Jaehyun really didn’t know what to say aside from that he was sorry to hear it. Taeyong did better at comforting. He made Johnny a fresh mug of tea and sat with him at the desk that Mark and Yangyang had just abandoned. They talked until two in the morning. Jaehyun watched from afar, taking care of closing duties even though it felt awkward to do something so normal while Johnny poured his heart out. 

Taeyong was good at that sort of thing.

Johnny didn’t look so broken when he left when he left. 

“You’re amazing, baby.” Jaehyun whispered to him in bed that night. Taeyong was already asleep, but there was a little smile on his face like he knew what Jaehyun was saying. 

\--  
Johnny Suh did not leave Jaehyun’s mind. 

One part because the night he came into Jaehyun’s life would forever feel like a bad episode of The Twilight Zone. One part because Johnny visited the store almost as frequently as Yangyang and Mark. 

It turned out he had similar taste in books to Taeyong. They formed an informal book club together, where they recommended readings to each other, bought them at the same time, and then Taeyong would sneak off and read with Johnny in the back nook where the cats liked to stay because it got the best sun. 

Jaehyun didn’t really mind. For a bookstore owner he wasn’t much of a reader. He acquired most of his book small talk secondhand from listening to Taeyong and Donghyuck and their newest employee, Sungchan. 

Johnny didn’t leave Jaehyun’s mind because he broke in front of them so recklessly. 

Jaehyun couldn’t remember the last time he cried in front of someone, let alone a stranger. He couldn’t imagine unpacking the kind of grief Johnny did. And that wasn’t him looking down on Johnny, he was honestly kind of jealous. Awestruck, even. 

Taeyong was the same way. He didn’t internalize anything. When he was upset, he let Jaehyun know and mapped out every detail as to why. 

When Jaehyun was upset, it took him three business days to process and by then he had it neatly stored away in a filing cabinet in his brain, not to be opened again unless the issue escalated. 

He envied Johnny and ached a bit in empathy. The pain of losing something so valuable to a mistake like that, he couldn’t imagine. 

So, he did something that was probably completely illegal and went through their log of receipts until he found the one copy of the Chronicles of Narnia they sold within the time period Johnny’s book would have been available. He found the name of the customer they sold it to and then turned to Facebook to find that person. 

He didn’t know what he was doing when he sent a message, he just prayed they wouldn’t get shut down because he couldn’t leave well enough alone. Because he wanted to be as helpful to Johnny as Taeyong was. 

It doesn’t seem real when two days later he meets Taeil for coffee two weeks later. 

“So, you want to trade me this used copy for your first edition signed copy?” Taeil asked, looking incredulously at Jaehyun and the book in his hands. Jaehyun was not an avid reader, but being the owner of the most popular bookstore in town did afford him some luxuries and some connections. 

“Yes. We weren’t supposed to sell that copy. It has sentimental value.” 

“Makes sense, there were some notes in here that didn’t look like normal annotations.” 

Taeil did not drag out the process. He actually paid for Jaehyun’s copy and then happily traded the books. He also promised he had taken good care of the book while it was in his possession and that it came from his allergen free home. Then he was gone, looking unperturbed and mostly like he wouldn’t go give the bookstore an awful Yelp review. 

Jaehyun stared down at Johnny’s book like a challenge. He wasn’t sure how to casually get it back into Johnny’s hands without somehow revealing he had done some mildly illegal things for it. He also didn’t know how to explain that to Taeyong. 

\--

In the end, it was not a difficult conversation. Jaehyun was worried about doing something sentimental for two feelers. Johnny was so distracted by having his book back that he never thought to ask where it came from. And Taeyong looked so shocked that Jaehyun did that without needing his guidance that he never asked a question, either. 

Johnny did thank Jaehyun, though. He hugged him that day long enough to have finished reading at least three Stephen King length paragraphs. Jaehyun returned the hug because he felt proud of himself for this. He didn’t have the words for Johnny but he had the actions. 

Johnny and Taeyong did not continue their book club reading that day. They sat together behind the counter while Jaehyun worked and read The Chronicles of Narnia out loud. 

\--

“You have the biggest heart, angel.” Taeyong whispered that night.

Jaehyun was already asleep, but there was a little smile on his face like he knew what Taeyong was saying. 

\-- 

Life for Taeyong and Jaehyun before Johnny Suh was vibrant. They lived it extremely well, extremely in love, and extremely happily. 

Life for Taeyong and Jaehyun after Johnny Suh did not actually change much. 

It was a natural sort of thing. He melded into their lives without any resistance. People caught on without questioning it and started to simply extend invites to Taeyong and Jaehyun _and_ Johnny. 

Taeyong and Jaehyun didn’t really talk about it either. 

Johnny felt ineffable. 

He fit right in to everything. He had puns to add to their tea menu and a very extensive knowledge of coffee that helped them expand their tea bar into a full on coffee bistro. He knew about books and he was great with children. They started doing Sunday afternoon reading groups and Johnny read and the kids went crazy for him. 

Johnny was great with all of their friends. He helped Mark study and kept track of Yangyang’s books. He remembered Doyoung’s birthday and picked a stranded Lucas up from his swim meet one day. 

He read with Taeyong and went to the gym with Jaehyun. They all went to the movies together and pushed the arm rests up. 

The most they ever talked about it was one night in December. They were walking around the neighborhood and looking at Christmas lights. Johnny was wrapped in Jaehyun’s scarf, Taeyong had stolen Johnny’s beanie, and Jaehyun accidentally grabbed Taeyong’s gloves instead of his own. 

They were singing Christmas carols together and pointing out the best Christmas trees and making plans for gifts to buy each of their friends. Taeyong looked up at Johnny and Johnny watched a snowflake fall and land right in the web of his lashes. 

“It’s snowing.” Johnny said. Jaehyun looked up and hummed a confirmation. 

Taeyong looked pleased. “That must be good luck or something.” 

Johnny wasn’t very superstitious but he wouldn’t deny something that made Taeyong grin like that. Taeyong looked red tinged and glowing in the Christmas lights. He wrapped his arms around Johnny’s neck and tugged him so they could be level. “Is this okay?” 

Johnny looked between Taeyong-- who was devastatingly beautiful this close-- and Jaehyun-- who did not look phased in the slightest-- and nodded. He didn’t even know what ‘this’ was. 

Taeyong demonstrated with a kiss, which was not too magical given both of their lips were numb with the cold. Johnny barely had time to react before Taeyong stepped away and Jaehyun moved to take his place. “Is this okay?” 

Johnny nodded again. He was starting to understand what ‘this’ was. 

Jaehyun’s kiss was much the same; a little wind chapped but still worth savoring. 

They went back to Taeyong and Jaehyun’s place after that. They thawed out with hot chocolate and traded kisses while classics played on the tv. 

They went to bed that night in a mix of each other’s clothes. 

“You’re beautiful.” Taeyong whispered. 

“We don’t want to lose you,” Jaehyun added. 

Johnny was already asleep, but there was a little smile on his face like he knew what Taeyong and Jaehyun were saying.

**Author's Note:**

> day 5 of johnmas. I love a good bookstore au and I went to my local bookstore today for some inspiration. i had a much sadder idea planned originally but this is supposed to be mushy sweet sort of christmas stories so i tabled it. 
> 
> anyways yes i did focus a little on a jaeyong even though this is johnmas and no i am not sorry. also if you squint markyang are dating and if i hadn't written this all in two hours at almost 1am then i would have explored that a little. 
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
